The renowned academic and well known community figure, Emeritus Professor Farhat Yusuf AM departed for his heavenly abode in Sydney on Tuesday 14 October 2025.
Funeral prayers and burial were held next day at Castlebrook Memorial Park Cemetery, attended by a large number of family members, friends, colleagues, and community leaders who gathered to pay their respects and honour his distinguished life and contributions.
Professor Yusuf, aged 85, was a highly respected academic, mentor, and researcher, whose dedication to education and scholarship left a lasting impact on generations of students and colleagues. Beyond his professional accomplishments, he will be remembered for his integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to his family and community.
Professor Yusuf was born in Delhi, British India, in 1940. During the Partition of 1947, his father, a barrister and his mother migrated to Pakistan with their family.
When he was 16, his father passed away and he was left with the responsibility to look after his family. At that point, he committed himself to higher education so as to support himself as well as his mother and sister.
Prof Yusuf graduated with first class honours from Punjab University in 1959 and obtained a Masters degree in Statistics in 1961. He was offered a scholarship from the Australian National University and together with a Commonwealth Scholarship pursued his studies in Demography at the ANU in 1963 completing his PhD in 1967.
Prof Yusuf returned to Pakistan but then came back to Australia in 1970 joining as a Senior Lecturer at Sydney’s Macquarie University where he remained until his retirement in 2011 as a Professor. During his tenure at Macquarie University, he was Head of the Department of Business and a member of the Academic Senate.
Prof Yusuf was an Emeritus Professor of Demography at Macquarie University and was concurrently an Honorary Professor of Public Health at Sydney University after his retirement. In 2013, Prof Farhat Yusuf was admitted to the Roll of Honour at Macquarie University.
He also held visiting appointments at Princeton University and Cornell University in USA, City University London and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.
Prof Yusuf also held many other positions in various organisations and had been a consultant to the United Nations and the World Health Organisation as well as to the International Agency for Cancer Research
In 2015, Prof Yusuf was appointed as Member of the Order of Australia AM for his significant service to Tertiary Education.
Prof Yusuf was considered a truly decorated identity in the field of research with a focus in areas such as Demography and Public Health with a later focus on Mental Health.
He wrote four books, numerous chapters and over one hundred research papers and technical reports that have appeared in various academic journals.
On local community front, Farhat Yusuf Saheb was the founding President of the Pakistan Association of Australia in 1972 and was the secretary of the Islamic Society of NSW during early 1970’s.
On a more personal front, Prof Farhat Yusuf came to Australia at a time when migrants were very few and his success is a reflection of his hard work and dedication.
Arriving in February 1970, he and his wife Nayyer Yusuf came to Sydney with three young children and five suitcases to start a new life for their family. The young couple provided their children with the best possible education and were always cognisant of ensuring their children were taught religious and cultural values.
Life was challenging in the early years but through their determination, they provided a nucleus for all their children. As a member of the first generation of migrants in Sydney, he upheld his faith whilst integrating with Australian society and sought to always help new migrants find their way for many years to come.
He was a pioneer in creating a safe and supportive environment for students and facilitated direction for many people that were trying to adjust to life in Australia.
Prof Yusuf leaves behind his loving wife Mrs Nayyer Yusuf and three children, Mrs Huma Khan, Dr Hena Amin and Mr Irfan Yusuf, two sons-in-law Mr Sefal Khan and Mr Asif Amin as well as four grandchildren and four great grandchildren
His family adored him for his wisdom, humility, and guidance which will remain with them forever, and his memory will continue to be a source of inspiration to all who knew him.
The family request all to remember their father in their duas.
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